Liquid container system

ABSTRACT

So as to apply to the refilled content of a bottle a desired substance e.g. a tasting substance, mini-receptacles are provided filled with a respective substance, which are broken open by external manipulation into the container.

The present invention departs from needs which have been recognized incontext with beverage containers, especially beverage bottles, which maybe refilled. Nevertheless, the following considerations are mutadismutandis valid for containers other than for beverages.

Bottles for beverages with a removable sealing cap and which may berefilled are widely known and used, especially in sport activities.Thereby, the container—the bottle—is customarily made of a plasticmaterial as from PET or of a metal as especially of aluminum or ispossibly made of a compound material. Such beverage bottles have asealing and removable cap which may be removed or opened so as to refillthe container. Especially for the use in sport activities as forcycling, jogging etc., the cap is customarily provided with a drinkingvalve arrangement which prevents liquid from pouring out when thecontainer with its cap is not in drinking use.

Such beverage containers are often refilled during the sport activities.E.g. when cycling, mountaineering, jogging etc. such containers arerefilled underway, e.g. at fountains. Thereby, it would often bedesirable to add to the refilled liquid, especially to water, a taste oranother substance as e.g. substances to make an isotonic beverage.Nevertheless, once the container has been emptied and underway it iseither not possible to refill such container with a desiredliquid/substance mixture or it is necessary to interrupt the activity,as e.g. to stop cycling, for preparing the liquid/substance mixture.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container systemwhereat the above need is practically resolved.

This is achieved by a liquid container system according to the presentinvention which comprises a container with a sealing cap to refill thecontainer with a liquid. The system further comprises at least two,preferably more than two mini-receptacles provided at the cap and/or atthe container. The mini-receptacles are respectively filled with asubstance. Each or a predetermined number of the mini-receptacles mayselectively be opened into the container by a man manipulation from theexternal of the container and/or cap. Thereby, the substance containedin the selected mini-receptacle is freed into the liquid.

Thus, whenever there is a need to add a substance from one of themini-receptacles to the liquid within the container, the respectivemini-receptacle is broken open and its substance is admixed to theliquid. Clearly, this allows to replace a consumed liquid/substancemixture of beverage with water, whereat, by opening a respectivemini-receptacle, there is admixed the desired substance.

In one embodiment the mini-receptacles are integrated in the cap and thecap comprises a manipulator to selectively open a mini-receptacle intothe container.

Thereby, whenever all the mini-receptacles provided at the cap have beenopened and their substances have been consumed, the cap is replaced by anew cap with a new set of mini-receptacles.

In a further embodiment the mini-receptacles are integrated in thecontainer which is e.g. realized by integrating blister-likemini-receptacles into the wall of the container, which are broken openinto the interior of the container by increased pressurizing of suchblisters.

In a further embodiment the mini-receptacles are part of an exchangeablemagazine device which is removably applied to the container and/or tothe cap. Thereby, whenever the content of the mini-receptacles isconsumed, a new set or magazine of such mini-receptacle is mounted tothe container or the cap.

In a further embodiment at least a part of the mini-receptacle containdifferent substances. Still in a further embodiment and with an eye onthe above described bottles for beverages, the mini-receptacles containfoodstuff substances. Further and in a further embodiment the addressedmini-receptacles contain concentrated foodstuff substances, so that witha small amount of such substance in the addressed mini-receptacles adesired taste or mixing ratio may be reached in the liquid of thecontainer.

Still in a further embodiment at least a part of the mini-receptaclescontain liquid and/or powderous substances, whereby some of themini-receptacles may contain a liquid and some other may contain apowderous substance. It has to be mentioned that it is absolutelypossible to admix to the liquid in the container substances which arepresent in two or more than two of the mini-receptacles, so as torealize a more complex substance mixture or so as to increase theconcentration of one substance in the respective liquid.

Still in a further embodiment the cap has a drink valve which isespecially suited when the system according to the present invention isa bottle system for beverages as used for outdoor- or sport-activities.

Still in a further embodiment the addressed container is of a plasticmaterial as of PET, is of a metal, thereby especially of aluminum or isof a compound or laminated material.

The invention shall further be exemplified by the following detaileddescription of examples, explained with the help of figures.

FIG. 1 in a perspective view a first embodiment of the system accordingto the present invention, whereat mini-receptacles are magazine-appliedto a bottle body;

FIG. 2 schematically a cross-sectional representation through a part ofthe embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 a part of the container's wall of a further embodiment of thesystem according to the present invention, whereat mini-receptacles areintegrated into the container's wall;

FIG. 4 in a simplified and perspective view, a part of a furtherembodiment of the system according to the present invention, whereatmini-receptacles are applied in the cap area;

FIG. 5 schematically and simplified, a cross-sectional representation ofthe embodiment as of FIG. 4 with mini-receptacles integrated in the cap;

FIG. 6 in a representation in analogy to that of FIG. 5, an embodiment,wherein the mini-receptacles are carried by a separate exchangeablemagazine.

FIG. 1 shows a beverage bottle system according to the presentinvention, whereat a magazine of mini-receptacles is applied to thecontainer itself. The container 1 or bottle, which may be of plasticmaterial, of a metal as of aluminum or of a compound material, maythereby be of a laminated material, has, as shown in FIG. 2, a number ofopenings 3 distributed along the wall 5 of the container. There isapplied around the area of the container 1, whereat the openings 3 areprovided, a magazine band 7 which has a number of mini-receptacleblisters 9, each sealingly closed and filled with a substance 11. Themagazine band which may comprise e.g. thermically shrinkable or elasticplastic material is tightly applied to and around the external surfaceof the container 1 with the blisters 9 registering with the openings 3in the wall 5 of the container 1.

By pressing with a finger upon the exterior wall 13 of a blister 9, theinternal wall 15 which is freely exposed to the interior of container 1once the magazine band is applied, is broken open, so that the substance11 is dispatched into a liquid within container 1. The outer wall 13 isthereby not damaged by such pressurizing. Whereas the outer wall 13 maybe made of rather elastic material, the inner wall 15 of the blistersand thus of magazine band 7 may be of a rather stiff material, e.g. of ametalized foil possibly with a weakened area to facilitate controlledbreaking up upon pressurizing outer wall 13.

Whenever all the mini-receptacles or blisters 9 which are provided at amagazine band 7 are consumed, the band 7 may easily be cut e.g. with aknife as shown in dashed line in FIG. 1 at 17 and a replacement magazineband 7 may be applied and, for sealing closure, may e.g. be shrunk uponthe container's external surface by applying moderate heat e.g. by ahair dryer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the beverage container 1 is closed with a removablecap 19, which is e.g. screwed upon the respective end of container 1 andwhich is provided with a drinking valve 21.

Departing from the embodiment of FIG. 1 it may be seen that in fact themagazine band 7 may be integrated into the container 1.

A part of the wall of such container with integrated mini-receptacles isshown in FIG. 3. Thereby the wall of container 1, a section thereofbeing shown, is formed by an inner layer 1 _(i). Blisters are integratedinto the wall of the container 1 by providing thinner layer areas 23.The thinner layer areas 23 may have additionally weakened areas tofacilitate breaking towards the interior of the container. The externalsurface of the container 1, especially in the area, where the blistersareas 23 are provided, is covered with a foil 1 _(a) which is moreresistive to pressurizing than blister areas 23 of inner foil-like layer1 _(i). The wall of the container 1 may be laminated from more than twofoil-like members to realize the mini-receptacles integrated into suchwall and allowing breaking open of such mini-receptacle towards and intothe interior of the container, thereby maintaining the outer at leastone foil according to 1 _(a) of FIG. 3 undamaged.

In FIG. 4 there is schematically shown a part of a beverage containeraccording to the present invention, whereat the mini-receptacles areprovided integral or as a removable magazine in the area of a cap 30 andwhereat selectively one or more than one of these mini-receptacles maybe opened towards and into the interior of the container by amanipulation at the cap. FIG. 5 schematically shows in a simplifiedmanner a cross-section through cap 30, whereby the mini-receptacles areintegral to the cap and the cap per se acts as a mini-receptaclemagazine.

The cap 30 comprises a basis 32 which is mountable to the container 1 asby a screw mount, a bayonet mount, etc. To fill up the container 1 thecap 30 in the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is removed.

Within the basis part 32 of the cap 30 there is mounted an annularmember 34 comprising a multitude of mini-receptacles 36 which thus arearranged coaxial to axis A of container 1 along the inner side of thebasis part 32. In the upper part of basis part 32 there is provided acoaxial guiding opening 38, wherein a manipulator part 40 is slideablyguided. The manipulator part 40 may on one hand be linearly movedaccording to L, parallel to axis A of the cap 30 up and down and may,additionally, be rotated as shown with double-arrow R in FIGS. 4 and 5.At one or possibly more than one distinct area along the periphery ofmanipulator part 40 and pointing towards the annular member 34 carryingthe mini-receptacles 36, there is provided a breaking-up-finger 42.Thus, by rotating the manipulator part 40 according to R in a specificselected position and then urging part 40 with finger 42 into andthrough a respective mini-receptacle 36 as shown in FIG. 5 in dashedlines, the mini-receptacle 36 is broken open and its content is admixedto the liquid in container 1. Homogeneous mixture is achieved byrespective shaking of the container. As shown in FIG. 4 the positions ofthe receptacles 36 may be marked at the rim of basis part 32 as shown at44.

Opening 38 is sealed nevertheless allowing the respective linear androtational movement of manipulator part 40, which may e.g. be realizedwith respective O-ring seals between basic part 30 and manipulator part40 (not shown). Further, a spring action member may be provided biasingthe manipulator part 40 outwards with respect to the basis part 32.

As further shown in the FIGS. 4 and 5 there is mounted on themanipulator part 40 the customary drinking valve 46.

In FIG. 6 there is shown in a representation in analogy to that of FIG.5 a part of the cap 30 for removably and exchangeably receiving a ringmagazine 34 with mini-receptacles 36′.

As may be seen such a magazine 34′ is residing on a ring-shoulder 48 atthe basic part 32 and is removeably squeezed between the top end ofcontainer 1 and such shoulder 48.

Thus, when removing cap 30 the magazine 34′ with the mini-receptacle 36′may be removed.

The embodiments which have been exemplified open a large range ofconstructional possibilities for the skilled artisan.

The substances which are contained in the receptacles may be equal forall mini-receptacles or may be different. The mini-receptacles forbeverage appliances contain concentrated isotonic substances, tastesubstances, etc. In some applications a desired mixture, be it fordrinking or for other purposes, may be realized by opening more than oneof the mini-receptacles towards and into the interior of the containerand admixing their content to the basic liquid content in container. Theprincipal of the present invention, according to which there is providedat a container at least two, preferably a multitude of mini-receptacles,the content thereof being easily and selectably admixable to the contentof the container, may be applied to other appliances than to beveragepreparation.

1. A liquid container system comprising a container with a sealing capto refill said container with a liquid, at least two mini-receptaclesfilled with a substance at at least one of said cap and of saidcontainer, whereby a predetermined number of said mini-receptacles mayselectively be opened into said container by a man manipulation from theexternal of said container and cap so as to have its substance freedinto said liquid.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein saidmini-receptacles are integrated in said cap and said cap comprises amanipulator to selectively open said mini-receptacles into saidcontainer.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said mini-receptacles areintegrated in said container.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein saidmini-receptacles are part of a magazine device removably applied to saidcontainer and/or cap.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein saidmini-receptacles are integrated in a wall of said container.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said mini-receptacles contain differentsubstances.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said mini-receptaclescontain foodstuff substances.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein saidmini-receptacles contain concentrated foodstuff substances.
 9. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein said mini-receptacles contain liquid orpowderous substances.
 10. The system of claim 7, wherein said cap has adrink valve.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein said container is ofplastic or of metal or is of a laminated material.
 12. The system ofclaim 1, wherein said container is a beverage bottle.